CIRCUS DAYS 19 



might suffer the loss of their wardrobe or part of 

 it, -and probably their trunk, and ran the risk of 

 being fired by the management for failure to be 

 ready for their act. 



One case in particular I remember when I was 

 with the R. W. Fryer's Shows as Boss Property 

 Man and transportation master. While the Show 

 was still in Sydney, N. S. W., and a week before 

 ending our eight weeks' stay, I told one of the 

 performers, the bearer of a brother act, that is the 

 man that holds the other man on his shoulders and 

 catches him as he jumps or turns somersaults, to 

 get a new trunk as he had an old tin-covered one 

 that had the edges all worn and broken, and every 

 time any of my men handled it they were sure to 

 have their hands or clothes cut and torn. He 

 promised to get one in Melbourne. We played 

 Melbourne eight weeks and went from there to 

 Ballarat, Victoria. He still failed to get a new 

 trunk, and when the Show appeared in Ballarat, 

 his trunk was amongst the missing, dropped or 

 fallen off the train en route during the night. He 

 was fired, and a day or so after got notice from 

 the Government Railroad to come and get some 

 of his belongings that had been picked up along 

 the line. He got a new trunk. 



Another character with the same Show was the 

 Musical Clown, named Shilleto, a really good fel- 

 low, but seldom sober. I honestly believe that if 

 he were sober he could not do his act. He was a 



